News & Insights

NJDEP Proposes Rules Under New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recently proposed new rules setting out requirements which would seek to protect overburdened communities from environmental stressors by setting new standards on where and how industrial operating facilities may be built or expanded. The announcement for the proposed rules can be found here. These rules propose to block the application for construction of new facilities which could expose residents of overburdened communities to disproportionate levels of pollution unless the facility would serve a compelling public interest in the community. By providing clarification on what is an “overburdened community” or a “compelling public interest” and on environmental quality standards, these proposed new rules would give significant teeth to the State’s new environmental justice reforms. ...read more